Chapter 1 – The establishment and development of the European
Union
1.1 Why was the Union set up? The motives for European integration
1.1.1 Reaction the World Wars: the desire for peace
It should come as no surprise that the very strong reaction after the Second World War to death and
destruction was a very important and motivating factor in the moves to create a more peaceful and
stable European environment in which countries could develop and prosper without resorting to the
obliteration or subjugation of others.
1.1.2 Security against the rising Soviet threat
The cold war was a clear and real catalyst for western European integration. It thus became
increasingly important that the countries of western Europe integrate among themselves to form a
bulwark against further Soviet expansion.
1.1.3 Political willingness
The period following the Second World War saw a number of moves towards the integration of
European nation states. Political and economic cooperation and development between nations was
regarded as crucial to replace the economic competition that was viewed as a major factor in the
outbreak of wars between European nation states.
1.1.4 Economic development
There were also inherently economically motivated steps toward international cooperation that
resulted in the establishment of such organizations as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the
Marshall Plan.
1.1.5 Summary of underlying motives and initial goals
When we come to the three European Communities, which were the forerunners of the European
Union that we have today, the ultimate goals are not so distinctly discernible. As remains the case
today, even before the foundation of the Communities, there was a conflict of opinion between
those who wished to see European integration take the form of a much more involved model, such
as a federal model, and those who wished merely to see a purely economic form of integration, such
as a free-trade area. The first steps were, predictably, a compromise between the political,
economic, and social desires of various parties. The scene was set by the address by Winston
Churchill, and his call to build ‘a kind of United States of Europe’ and in particular the brave (for the
time) call for a partnership between France and Germany. However, even within that speech,
Churchill and Britain did not envisage a role as a key participant and instead saw Britain as being
outside any general European integration, alongside the United States and Russia, observing and
assisting the rise of a European state from the ashes of the destruction of the Second World War.
1.2 The founding of the European Communities
1.2.1 The Schuman Plan (1950)
It proposed the linking of the French and German coal and steel industries, which would be taken out
of the hands of the nation sates and put under the control of a supranational body. This would not
only help economic recovery, but would also remove the disastrous competition between the two
states. It was aimed to make future war not only unthinkable, but also materially impossible. The
plan was deliberately left open for other European countries to join in its discussions. Six nations
1
Union
1.1 Why was the Union set up? The motives for European integration
1.1.1 Reaction the World Wars: the desire for peace
It should come as no surprise that the very strong reaction after the Second World War to death and
destruction was a very important and motivating factor in the moves to create a more peaceful and
stable European environment in which countries could develop and prosper without resorting to the
obliteration or subjugation of others.
1.1.2 Security against the rising Soviet threat
The cold war was a clear and real catalyst for western European integration. It thus became
increasingly important that the countries of western Europe integrate among themselves to form a
bulwark against further Soviet expansion.
1.1.3 Political willingness
The period following the Second World War saw a number of moves towards the integration of
European nation states. Political and economic cooperation and development between nations was
regarded as crucial to replace the economic competition that was viewed as a major factor in the
outbreak of wars between European nation states.
1.1.4 Economic development
There were also inherently economically motivated steps toward international cooperation that
resulted in the establishment of such organizations as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the
Marshall Plan.
1.1.5 Summary of underlying motives and initial goals
When we come to the three European Communities, which were the forerunners of the European
Union that we have today, the ultimate goals are not so distinctly discernible. As remains the case
today, even before the foundation of the Communities, there was a conflict of opinion between
those who wished to see European integration take the form of a much more involved model, such
as a federal model, and those who wished merely to see a purely economic form of integration, such
as a free-trade area. The first steps were, predictably, a compromise between the political,
economic, and social desires of various parties. The scene was set by the address by Winston
Churchill, and his call to build ‘a kind of United States of Europe’ and in particular the brave (for the
time) call for a partnership between France and Germany. However, even within that speech,
Churchill and Britain did not envisage a role as a key participant and instead saw Britain as being
outside any general European integration, alongside the United States and Russia, observing and
assisting the rise of a European state from the ashes of the destruction of the Second World War.
1.2 The founding of the European Communities
1.2.1 The Schuman Plan (1950)
It proposed the linking of the French and German coal and steel industries, which would be taken out
of the hands of the nation sates and put under the control of a supranational body. This would not
only help economic recovery, but would also remove the disastrous competition between the two
states. It was aimed to make future war not only unthinkable, but also materially impossible. The
plan was deliberately left open for other European countries to join in its discussions. Six nations
1
